Toy.



B. C. ALGIE.

TOY.

APPLICATION. EIILED JUNE 22. 1917.

Patented Apr. 9,1918.

1 n ma M-l O'L BENJAMIN C. ALGIE, OF OGDENSBUBG, NEW YORK.

TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

Application filed June 22, 1917. Serial No. 176,365.

To a! Z whom. it may concern:

lie it known that I, BENJAMIN C. Anna,

a citizen of the United States, residing at ()gdensburg. in the county of St. Lawrence and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toys, of which the following is a specification. The present invention has to do with toys of that type designed for catapulting articles of different characters, and it has for its object the provision of a simple device of gun-like configuration especially construct ed to discharge articles of disk form, for instance. through the instrumentality of an elastic band as the motive power. The essence of the invention lies in the mounting of the band aforesaid so that the desired impetus may be given to the object to be discharged. said band being provided with means for engaging a trigger preparatory to the discharge, incidental to which engagement the band is necessarily given a twist, thereby a tfording holding means for said object which prevents accidental displacement thereof preliminary to the release of the band.

It is further comprehended to provide stop means for preventing the elastic from overthrow off the end of the gun stock.

These and such other objects as may be pointed out hereinafter, are attained by the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter specifically described and claimed. Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Where- Figure l is a side elevation of a device constructed in accordance with this invention, a portion being broken away to show more clearly the details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken about on the plane indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; 1

Fig. at is a detail view of the trigger engaging end of the elastic band; and

Fig. 5 is a view showing a modified form of the trigger engaging member.

Throughout the following detail descrip tion and on the several figures of the drawing, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

Specifically describing the device, it is preferred that the body thereof be of gunlike configuration, as indicated generally by the character 1, the stock being formed with a relatively deep longitudinal channel 2 extending throughout the length of the barrel portion of the device. A trigger 3 is pivotally mounted at l and is suitably held in operative cocked position by connection with one end of a spring 5, the opposite end of said spring being connected to the band, preferably elastic, 8, beneath the gun-stock. Adjacent to the end portion of the stock at the sides is a pair of pulleys 7 about which the endless elastic band passes. This band carries a trigger engaging member 9 which is suitably apertured at 10 to receive the band and also at 11 for engaging lth the tri ger. It will be obvious that the mounting of the endless band in the manner above referred to is especially desired in order that the force of the motive power will not be expended before reaching the end of the stock as would be true were the end or ends of a band connected to the forward end of the stock. Obviously the band may be moved about its pulleys so that wear will not take place at any particular point, and

this is also true with respect to the point of application of the trigger engaging member 9 which is subject to shifting for the purpose indicated.

The most important feature of the impelling means is the connection of this band to the trigger spring so that it places said trigger under tension, and this tension is increased as the trigger is pulled to effect release of the impelling means, thereby increasing the power and velocity of the shot.

As will be particularly observed by reference to Figs. 2 and a, when the member 9 is engaged with the upper projection 3 of the trigger, incidental to such engagement the band is given a twist just adjacent to the trigger. This is also an important feature because the object which is to be discharged from the gun is placed within the channel 2 close to the member 9 in the twisted portion of the band. The device may thus be turned in any direction, even bottom side up, without likelihood of the object, which in this instance is a cardboard disk as indicated at 12, accidentally falling from position. The channel 2 is of a depth equal to one-half the diameter of the disk and. as the elastic engages this disk midway there is no tendency of the member to revolve in the channel upon discharge.

In the use of the toy the position which the stock occupies when the object is discharged will determine more or less the character of travel under the impetus of the band,that is to say its travel may be upwardly or downwardly if the stock is turned sidewise, or it may be more or less in a straight horizontal plane if the gun is in the usual upright position. The engaging member 9 not only constitutes the means for engaging the band with the trigger and for twisting said band, but also acts as a driver so as to give a maximum impelling force to the disk when it is discharged. However, this member may be a flexible ring of rawhide, or like material, as shown in Fig. 5 at 9.

In order to prevent the band from being thrown off or over the end of the gun, I preferably secure at the sides of the extremity of the stock lateral stop means or projections 13 with which the band engages when it is released and is expending its energy. A small grip piece 14 is also provided near this end of the stock and this the user of the article holds with one hand to aim his shot.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. A toy of the class described comprising a stock, a trigger mounted thereon, and impelling means for discharging an object from the stock comprising an elastic member engageable with the trigger upon twisting said member, the object being held by said twisted portion to prevent accidental displacement.

2. A toy of the class described comprising a stock, a trigger, an elastic band for impelling the object to be discharged from the stock, and means connected to the band engageable with the trigger whereby to store up energy in the band, said band being twisted adjacent to the trigger incidental to such engagement of the means aforesaid to provide for engagement of the object by 1,2e1,eee

the twisted portion of said band to thereby prevent accidental displacement of said object preliminary to discharge.

A toy of the class described comprising a stock having a groove extending longitudinally thereof, a trigger adjacent to one end of said groove, an elastic band connected beneath the stock, pulley members adjacent to the end of the stock over which said band passes onto the top of the stock, trigger engaging means connected to said band for engagement with the trigger and incidental to such engagement to provide twisting of the band, and stop means for limiting movement of the hand against overthrow from the end of the stock.

4. A toy of the class described comprising a stock, a trigger thereon, impelling means comprising a tension device connected to the trigger beneath the stock, and a band connected to the tension device and adapted to be engaged with the trigger above the stock for tcnsioning the impelling means.

5. A toy of the class described comprising a stock, a trigger thereon, impelling means comprising a tension device connected to the trigger beneath the stock, a band connected to the tension device and adapted to be engaged with the trigger above the stock for tcnsioning the impelling means, and guide members on the stock about Which the band passes, said band being tensioned incident to release movement of the trigger whereby to increase the impelling power of the said impelling means.

6. A toy of the class described comprising a stock having a channel extending longitudinally thereof, a trigger adjacent to one end of said channel, a disk to be discharged from said stock, the channel being of a depth equal to one-half the diameter of the disk, and impelling means for discharging said disk engageable with the same substantially midway of said disk, whereby to discharge the disk without revolving the same, upon release movement of the trigger.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

BENJAMIN C. ALGIE. 

